Shirt Tales and Other StoriesMr Jeremy Hackett

Shirt Tales and Other StoriesMr Jeremy Hackett

Jeremy Hackett and the staff of ‘86

For the second in our series of small books produced in collaboration with some of the best customers of “our British section” - Thomas Mason and David & John Anderson-, we are featuring a brand which is a particular favourite of mine, since they have always appreciated the colour and innovation of our fabrics.

Surprisingly, Hackett made their very first shirt collection with Thomas Mason less than 3 decades ago, but today are globally recognised for their typical British styling interpreted in a contemporary manner.

We are very honoured that their co-founder Jeremy Hackett agreed to be interviewed in London by my cousin Silvio, and what resulted, we believe, is frank, quite humorous, yet also at times inspirational.

Please join me in enjoying “Shirt Tales and Other Stories”

Fabio Albinicreative director

AN INTERVIEW BETWEEN:

Mr Jeremy Hackett,

Chairman and co-founder

of eponymous British menswear brand Hackett.

Dr Silvio Albini,

President and in the 5th family generation of leadership

of the Albini Group, founded 1876.

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So, Jeremy Hackett, “Mr Classic” as you are known in theEnglish Press, could you please tell our readers somethingabout Hackett?

Yes it’s true they call me “Mr Classic” and in fact over theyears the press have also referred to Hackett in many terms.We were “Sloane Rangers”, “Young Fogies”, “Yuppies”,“Lads” and more recently we have become known as “AHeritage Brand” which is rather interesting consideringHackett is barely 29 years old, the brand that is.

Really? Only 29 years?

Yes, our customers especially are always surprised thatHackett is not 100 years old; they presume that I am a poshboy who inherited the business from my father or grandfather.But nothing could be further from the truth.

Dr Silvio Albini

Mr Jeremy Hackett

Dr Silvio Albini

Mr Jeremy Hackett

B E N D I N G T H E S C H O O L U N I F O R M C O D E

I grew up in an ordinary family in Bristol, I am not a designer,nor even a tailor, I am a retailer and a shopkeeper. I shouldsay that Hackett came about through a series of events, amixture of influences, chance meetings and well one thingled to another. I was a precocious child and I can neverremember a time when I wasn’t interested in style, and evenat the age of seven I was concerned about what I put on, whichwas usually things sewn or knitted by my mother, which wasfairly normal for the austere 1950’s. She sold Burberryraincoats, and my father also worked in the textile business.At school I was a poor student interested only in English,History and Drama, but what I lacked in brain power I madeup for in style.We were required to wear a white shirt, red tie and greyflannel trousers, but my shirt had a tab collar, my tie wasnarrow and knitted, my trousers were tapered and I woreblack elastic sided Chelsea Boots.All the boys in my class adopted my look.At 16 I failed all my exams and my headmaster said it wasprobably best if I left the school, but he told me not to worryas I would get by on my charm and my smile. It’s worked so far! My father was less kind “If you don’t pull your socks up, youwill end up working in a shop!” he warned me, somewhatprophetically.I soon sensed that if I wanted to make something of myself Iwould need to move to London, which is what I did. It was the early 1970’s and I worked as a sales assistant on thevery hip King’s Road Chelsea, where the good money I madeallowed me to buy a Mini Cooper with tinted windows, whilstthe rest of my money went on clothes. I was always broke,but well dressed, so no change there!

Mr Jeremy Hackett

“Even at the age of 7 I was concerned about what I put on”

And then quite by chance you discovered London’s iconicSavile Row?

Yes, and I was immediately struck by its discreet air and lowkey atmosphere. It was my first experience of sophisticatedtailoring and I felt I was entering a private world: a gentleman’sclub of tailoring. I took a salesman’s job at John Michael,opposite the famous tailor Tommy Nutter whose radical ideaswere causing a stir among the more traditional tailors. Of course, despite a pay rise I still lived beyond my means:bespoke suits are expensive. So to supplement my income Istarted going to Portobello Road flea market looking forstuff that I could sell on to my friends at a profit. I wouldseek out the second-hand clothes of a generation whose sonshad discarded the quality classics in preference for the cutting-edge styles of the 1960’s and 1970’s. Early one Friday morning I met Ashley Lloyd-Jennings, whenwe both wanted to buy the same tweed jacket. We decided toshare the cost, and when it had been sold, share the profit.It was the beginning of a long partnership.

Dr Silvio Albini

Mr Jeremy Hackett

“I started going to Portobello Road flea market”

“A private world: a gentleman’s club of tailoring”

A R AT H E R P R O F I TA B L E W E E K E N D H O B B Y

On a trip to Paris, quite by chance, I met a man selling vintageBritish clothing, Burberry, Aquascutum, hunting jackets andEnglish accessories. He told me he came to London to buybut if I wanted to buy for him it would be much easier, andthat is exactly what we did. It became a rather profitableweekend hobby.At the time houses in Fulham were cheap and we bought twowhich we renovated, myself slaving in a restaurant at night tofinance this. We sold the houses and using the money openeda fine shoe shop in Covent Garden, and then two more, onOld Bond Street and the City. Finally we were retailers!Then disaster struck. We were undercapitalised and after three years of strugglingto pay the bills we had to close. The bank even took our flats,so it was all back to square one.We returned to selling second-hand clothes which mostlyended up in Paris, and once again we were successful.It occurred to us why sell in Paris when we could sell theclothes here in London?

Mr Jeremy Hackett

“Finally we were retailers”

D O I N G T H E E X A C T O P P O S I T E O F W H AT WA S E X P E C T E D

Ashley and I pooled our resources of £ 2000 and opened ourfirst clothes shop in Fulham. But this was not to be anyordinary second-hand clothes shop: everything had to be thebest quality. Bespoke suits, hunting kit, formal dress,handmade shoes and vintage leather goods were all sourcedfrom the London street markets.The shop didn’t even have a name for months and was justknown as “The one with the funny round window” but it didhave an atmosphere of aristocratic elegance like a privategentleman’s club. Our clothing was immaculately laundered,repaired and presented on wooden hangers hanging fromvintage brass rails; I bought ancient tables from my former SavileRow employer when they closed down. The very first day we sold£ 1000 + worth of clothes and from then on in it just got better.

Tell me something about your customers from those early days.

We soon discovered that there was much interest from ayounger generation who couldn’t afford the very high priceson Savile Row, but who held a great appreciation for theGolden Age of English tailoring.

Mr Jeremy Hackett

Dr Silvio Albini

Mr Jeremy Hackett

“The shop with the funny round window”

We also sold a lot to film companies for movies such as“Chariots of Fire” and “Out of Africa”. One day I bought 5pieces of Louis Vuitton luggage for £ 175 and within an hourof them being in the shop sold them to a film company for£ 3,500 who shipped them over to Hollywood. Then there were the designers who came to our little shop:Valentino, Massimo Osti, Piombo, Albert Goldberg ofFaçonnable among them.

“Vintage” and recycling in general has become quite popularin the 21st Century. On the contrary, in the early 1980’s second-hand goods were less well considered. Your initial enterprisewith Hackett must therefore have seemed very radical.

Because we were selling “Dead Men’s Clothes?” - for let’sface it - that is what they were. And yet we created the concept,the edit, we put “Britishness” together in a way that appealed. We bought only the very best, whether shoes, suits or shirts.And then we accessorised and generally made it much moreelegant than anything that was being offered that time in theaverage British menswear shop, many of whom had losttheir way and not even noticed that what they were offeringwas boring.Many customers didn’t even realise that we weren’t sellingnew clothes and they kept saying “Where are your size 44’s?”little understanding that it didn’t really work like that.

Dr Silvio Albini

Mr Jeremy Hackett“Chariots of Fire” “Out of Africa”

Your beloved Sussex Spaniel, and the first Hackettsupermodel, Charley, was also one of your finest second-hand acquisitions?

Yes, I found her unwanted in Battersea Dogs’ Home; I wasstrongly warned against her since she had been mistreatedand came with issues. Sometimes it’s hard to explain why wedo the things we do. As far as I was concerned, Charley wasthe business. I borrowed her, took her to Badminton HorseTrials and fell in love. Five years later I bought Browney, from a breeder in Sussex,naturally. You should never work with animals and children,goes the saying, but at Hackett when it comes to shooting ouradvertising campaigns we regularly work with both.People don’t often recognise me, except in Japan for somestrange reason. But they do recognise the dogs because theyhave featured so much in our advertising. Well it helps to payfor the dog food! They are an incredibly rare breed, moreendangered than the giant Panda and that’s why I agreed tobe patron of their society, and why I came to be holding somany of them in the photo. Once a customer phoned to ask me what sort of dog was it inthe advertisement and he then went and bought himself aSussex Spaniel and called it “Hackett”. I hope I don’t bumpinto him and his dog and he shouts “Hackett come here, sit!”

Dr Silvio Albini

Mr Jeremy Hackett

“Who could not be smiling surrounded by all these supermodels?”

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So your shop continued to be successful?

Yes it was always very popular, however very soon we realisedthat there were not enough quality vintage clothes availableand I wasn’t prepared to buy clothes that were less good justto keep the business going. We had noticed what our customers were demanding andcouldn’t buy, such as good tweed jackets, corduroy trousers, allcut in classical fashion. I started to visit English mills to buycloth and took vintage samples to manufacturers asking themto make something similar. Everything was based on tailormade clothes, which was very far removed from the Eightiesfashion of the time. The new clothes were all to be labelled “Hackett” - It wasthe beginning of the brand.

And your customers, did they accept the new products?

Yes, reluctantly at first, but when they realised how much thenew products looked like the vintage ones then they becameinterested. We made the transition from Old to New quitesmoothly and then concentrated our efforts on building thenew Hackett brand.

Dr Silvio Albini

Mr Jeremy Hackett

Dr Silvio Albini

Mr Jeremy Hackett

Charley & Browney Hackett take a break from their modelling assignment

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V E N T U R I N G O U T I N S E A R C H O F F I N E S H I RT I N G S

So one of those English mills you visited must have beenThomas Mason?

Exactly! When we first decided to make our own shirts welooked for the best shirt manufacturer - Jermyn StreetShirtmakers in Gloucester, and asked their recommendationfor the best shirting cotton. They advised that we needed tocontact David & John Anderson and Thomas Mason inLancashire who supplied all of their shirting fabrics. They alsowarned us that we would need to buy 60m per colour wayand we were quite shocked as it seemed such a lot. HoweverJermyn Street Shirtmakers offered to make dressing gownsand boxer shorts and handkerchiefs as well and that was veryhelpful in using up our 60m.One of the things that I liked about the shirts made by JermynStreet Shirtmakers were the collars which weren’t top fused.This is a much more difficult process, but gives the shirtsso much more personality. I always try to buy shirts withnon-fused collars, but they are so difficult to find nowadays.

Dr Silvio Albini

Mr Jeremy Hackett

Another thing that’s tremendously important is the collarshape and for Hackett this is a classic cutaway which has beenour regular style for years. And the collar must sit quite highto the neck, not low down like so many continental collars.Also there must be exactly 3/8ths inch space at the top for thetie, no more, no less because that is the most elegant and alsothe most comfortable collar to wear.And the shirt must have a double-cuff for cufflinks. Of courseat Hackett we now offer a whole diversity of collars andcuffs, but I always refer back to our original classic style asa benchmark.On the whole, men don’t like change, they like to come backand find the same sorts of things that have worked well forthem before, with subtle changes that evolve with fashion butnever in a radical way.

“I always refer back to our original classic style as a benchmark”

Zephir 4489 quality, originallydeveloped by Thomas Mason for Hackett

And after that first “shocking” 60m? My spies at the oldThomas Mason tell me that the first exclusives designsdeveloped with you were in the Zephyr 4489 quality. In factyou were so insistent on having a 2/100s x 2/100s true zephyrthat Thomas Mason agreed to develop a new qualityespecially for you. Moreover since you weren’t able to buy the whole 480m warpper colour way at that time, a “gentleman’s agreement” wasmade for you to buy just 240m and for Thomas Mason to sellthe remaining 240m on the open market. I hardly daremention this fact just in case you ask for “royalties” becauseboth this new quality Zephyr 4489 and the exact same designsare still in our Silverline stock service programme, and in factwe are still selling “the balance” of your original 240m nearly30 years later!The references are F311997 & F318501…

That’s right! But you cannot still be selling our 240m, you arejoking with me! Now the design certainly - that I can believe,as it’s such classic.The first one was the plain Prince of Wales then we addedthe white over-check and a bit later the coloured over-checkas well.It is often considered that The Duke of Windsor, the dandyof British fashion, was the first to wear the Prince of Walescheck, when in fact it was his grandfather Edward VII whofirst wore the now iconic check during the Edwardianperiod when he was Prince of Wales. This pattern is renownedworldwide and has throughout generations enjoyed apermanent presence in fashion.

Dr Silvio Albini

Mr Jeremy Hackett

I am pleased to note that our current Prince of Wales , PrinceCharles is often seen supporting this eponymous check, and iseven wearing the Z.4489 shirt in Madame Tussaud’s waxworks!Actually we are about to do a project with the charity “ThePrince’s Trust” (set up by H.R.H. Prince Charles) that’sbased entirely around the traditional Prince of Wales designin different types of fabric from British suppliers: Flannelfrom Fox Brothers, Tweed from Lovat Mills, worsted fromHuddersfield, for our tailoring and, naturally, for a Prince ofWales shirting we will be coming to Thomas Mason, whoelse? There will be a donation from each item sold to “TheTrust” to assist its valuable work supporting young peopleinto jobs and training.Historically the Princes of Wales have always been very welldressed and Prince Charles recently said he is always verysurprised if anyone calls him “a Style Icon” but he imaginedthat since this happens about once every 20 years it probablymeans that what he likes to wear has come around and intofashion again. It’s not true of course: the Prince of Walesis very passionate about clothing and especially aboutsupporting British Industry.

Would you consider the Prince of Wales shirting design tobe the most synonymous with Hackett, or something else?Maybe also the true gingham checks which you also buyevery season?

Yes, the Prince of Wales check, definitely, and also theGingham. Do you remember that we also developed the smallgingham with the over-check as an exclusive with you? I wasreally quite embarrassed to enquire if Thomas Mason wouldjust make 240 m, but then I must have been a bit persuasive,or perhaps you were just kind, as you did agree to do that.

Dr Silvio Albini

Mr Jeremy Hackett

“Keep It Simple”

Returning to the story. What happened next?

Very soon we opened 4 more shops close to our original. Ashirt shop, a tailoring shop, one for formal evening wear, orBlack Tie, as it’s sometimes known, and finally a gentlemen’sbarber. Taxi drivers referred to this locality as “Hackett Cross”since it had by this time become a London landmark.By the late 80’s our business was flourishing with more shopsaround London, and one in Madrid, others in Paris & Japan.And then we were approached to open a shop in Boston USA,where we felt that we couldn’t fail as Americans love Englishclothing.It was a bad mistake and cost us dearly. In order to survive, we made the decision to sell the business,since the brand name was strong, but the balance sheet wasweak.

So you were back to square one for the second time in yourcareer?

It was a low moment but it meant that the Hackett brandwould continue to thrive, and in retrospect it was a sensibledecision. It was important to hold onto our vision for the brandand just keep going. And the investment of the RichemontGroup in Hackett enabled us in 1992 to open our first flagshipshop in Sloane Street, which combined all of our interestsunder one roof and took the brand to another level. Itcontinues to be our most successful shop attracting customersfrom all over the world.

Dr Silvio Albini

Mr Jeremy Hackett

Dr Silvio Albini

Mr Jeremy Hackett

Dr Silvio Albini

Mr Jeremy Hackett

“Sloane Street Flagship Store combined all our interests under one roof”

What is it about the Zephyr qualities that are so veryappealing? Is it because the Zephyr constructions are veryhistorical, as seen by the huge numbers of them featuring inour design archives, dating back to 1845?

Balanced checks…always got to be balanced, as simplicityand a clean look is synonymous with the Hackett brand.“Keep It Simple!”

C O N C E R N I N G A L L T H I N G S G R E AT B R I T I S H

I should like to ask you something about the influence theHackett brand has been in the growing interest in “all thingsBritish” over the last 2 decades in particular. In starting tofocus on traditional British clothing in the early 1980’s youwere clearly pioneers of this interest, and moving completelyagainst the prevailing and seemingly unstoppable tide forcheaper imports.

Yes it’s true; we were doing something very different withHackett, and yet despite the decline in the industry therewere still traditional skills to be found. When we first startedto make our own clothes, we used to visit these ancientfactories, taking this suit, or that coat, or shirt, and then weasked them to reproduce the garments including all thespecial details. And you know the factories were delighted,because we were asking them to do things that they werereally good at, which demanded traditional ways of makingthings and special attention to detail.

Dr Silvio Albini

Mr Jeremy Hackett

Browney Hackett flies the flag for Great Britain

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We still do what we can do in terms of trying to use Britishmanufacturers and there are some wonderful ones still around.Why, for instance, would we buy our tweeds from anywhereother than Scotland where there are the best ones in the world?Those firms which have survived in Britain, understood thatalongside keeping their traditions, they also need to evolveto meet the changing demands of the market. Obviously not all the traditional manufacturers havesurvived in the UK and when the last British cotton millclosed, a famous Italian mill called Albini bought up all thedesign archives enabling us to make British style cloth as wehad done previously for many years, so thank you Silvio!

Yes in 1991 Thomas Mason had existed for 190 years inLancashire but was suffering very badly in the economic crisisat that time. Our family, shirting weavers in Italy since 1876,realised that we had to step in. We bought Thomas Masonand its associate company David & John Anderson, and theirconsiderable design archives, and saved these historic brandsfrom certain extinction.

Which is when we met you, and we knew immediately thatwe wanted to carry on with the new arrangement.

Dr Silvio Albini

Mr Jeremy Hackett

“We immediately knew that we wanted to carry on with the new arrangement”

TA P P I N G “ M R C L A S S I C ” F O R H I S S A RT O R I A L A D V I C E

You are very well known for your sartorial advice andgrooming tips delivered in the “Independent on Sunday”newspaper for many years, under the guise of “Mr Classic”.One of your key pieces of advice is that whatever else you arewearing it is absolutely imperative to wear an excellent pair ofshoes, and the best cotton (always double–cuff) shirt.What, for you, Jeremy represents the very best cotton shirt,and how and when do you like to wear it? And what is a trulyBritish shirt, in terms of designs, colours and fabrics?

There was a lot more colour in the past, but certainly a regularBengal stripe. That I believe is very British. Blue end-on-endwith coloured highlights, that is typically British andsomething we always buy from Thomas Mason, even if notas popular in this period. Right now we are selling whiteand white and white, much more than anything else, maybeyou are too?

Dr Silvio Albini

Mr Jeremy Hackett

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Yes, white is “numero uno” also for us, not just this season,but every season in fact, that’s why we are investing so muchcare and attention into the research and development of newwhites, such as our Giza 87 cotton which we are now growingin Egypt, as we weren’t able to find it in any other way.

Yes, we are starting to sell this quality very well at Hackett(although I have a problem with the name “Geezer” whichover here is a rather un-complimentary word for a man!).But “Egyptian Cotton” is a name that has a resonance,and has always been synonymous with quality in England.Our customers often ask for it. You should make muchmore of this Silvio.

We are trying, step by step.

Dr Silvio Albini

Mr Jeremy Hackett

Dr Silvio Albini

“Egyptian Cotton has always been synonymous with quality in England”

Giza 87 Cotton picking, Albini Group Cotton Field, Egypt

Besides white, cornflower blue is good for us as well, and pink.I am talking about a classic shirt to wear for work of course.For the weekend, flannels, fine flannels, like the Pandaquality from Albini which you made for us in the past, andTattersall, that’s very important. Oxford as well, but only forthe weekend. Americans wear Oxford all the week, but for aBritish gentleman that’s considered a weekend shirt, alongwith the twills.

Mr Jeremy Hackett Dr Silvio Albini

Mr Jeremy Hackett

“Tattersal, Oxford & Twills, but only for the weekend” “Buy only the best. Quality through and through”

In your opinion how can the fabric make a difference to theperformance of the shirt, whether two-fold, single-fold,finer yarn counts etc.?

Two-fold fabrics for shirts ideally, but not necessarily. If thereare other things I like I will buy those as well. But whateverI choose, whether it be fabric or garment or accessory, theremust be no compromise on quality. I would always muchrather have less, but buy only the very best. Quality throughand through with everything and only choosing things thatwill last and stand the test of time.

And what about ways of wearing the shirt in particular, forinstance at Hackett you are selling a great number of washed-down shirts, whereas other equally British companies who wesupply sell only perfectly pristine shirts?

It’s a question of the shirts looking “more lived in”. Manymen don’t want to look as though they have just bought theirnew shirt, and also rugged or aged is good, I like that, exceptfor formal shirts and dress wear of course, where they mustbe perfectly pressed, immaculate.

I find myself curiously interested in the wearing (by perfectlywell off respectable people) of shirts with worn through collars& cuffs etc. This is really an anathema to a well groomedItalian, but seems it’s not at all uncommon in England, evenamongst Royalty. Is that something you would do?

Only if I was rich! If you are “old wealth” it is permissible.Old shirts are very comfortable and men have favouriteswhich they don’t want to let go of. It was like this with an oldblue lambwool sweater that I had that I just couldn’t let go of.One day I was wearing it over a navy Bengal stripe shirt andI noticed the stripes showing through at the elbow. I thoughtit was a nice effect so I had some sweaters made in Scotlandfor Hackett with deliberately “worn through” elbows. Theydidn’t sell, nobody understood it at all!

Dr Silvio Albini

Mr Jeremy Hackett

Dr Silvio Albini

Mr Jeremy Hackett

It’s a question of the shirts looking “more lived in”

Talking about “sartorial elegance” in general, are therespecific rules for a gentleman to follow, or would you say thatit is more important for each one to express his own goodtaste, individuality and sense of style? And what about thefamous “English eccentricity”?

Eccentricity sits better on older people. On a younger personit can be a little contrived. David Hockney is always veryshambolic in appearance but just has a look about him. Hethrows on a white cap, sometimes has odd socks, but he alwayslooks great. That’s natural eccentricity, an extension ofhimself. Italians and English are very different in this respect,an Italian is more considered, “Is this shoulder right?”, “Whatabout the angle of this collar?”. On the contrary the Englishmanis not so considered in the finer points of styling. He willusually ask “Is it functional?” or “How long will it last?”. Italians, and in fact many countries, Spain, Japan as well lookto England for clothing style. They expect it of us andprobably also distance lends a degree of enchantment.It’s something about the way that we put clothes together,the fact that there are no rules, that it’s perfectly acceptableto wear a colourful trouser with a mismatched jacket, and ifthe items are all of fine quality then often it works.

Dr Silvio Albini

Mr Jeremy Hackett

“Everything has its purpose”

And then most of all there are “the occasions”: polo, Henley,Derby, Ascot, weddings. This calendar of social occasions, allof which demand a specific dress code, simply doesn’t exist inthe same way in other countries.Some occasions like National Hunt Racing require tweed, andtrilby hats, others like Ascot, tailcoats and top hats, at Henleythere are striped blazers and straw boaters, and where but atGoodwood would you dress up to watch motor racing?And there are certain codes for hunting and shooting as well,and all of these things have been handed down for generations.What you need for the City.What you need for the Country.What you need for each occasion.Everything has its purpose, and that’s why we have these verydifferent collections at Hackett to reflect the British socialcalendar.There is a romantic illusion abroad about how the Englishdress, and sometimes I think that if they were to travel on thetube, or go to some provincial places then they would not findvery much that is stylish. But it is true that there are still pockets of elegance to befound, in the St James’s area of London, for instance, aroundJermyn Street, you will still find it. On Savile Row of course,the home of fine bespoke tailoring, and in the financial areasof the City in particular. There you can still see the tightlyfurled umbrellas, the occasional bowler hat and a stricterformality of dress. We tried “dress down Friday” but that hasall but gone away again.

“There are still pockets of elegance to be found”

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P U T T I N G O U R M O N E Y W H E R E O U R M O U T H I S

You also sponsor and are associated with many events in theUpper Class Social Calendar from Polo, to Horse Racing,Motor Car Racing, even apparently Camel Polo?

Yes, and would you believe also Elephant Polo? In order tofurther the authenticity of the Hackett brand we felt itimportant to take part in the sports that we were promoting,which led us to various sponsorships.

Dr Silvio Albini

Mr Jeremy Hackett

In the shop one day I was approached by two army officers,who said that their commanding officer had told them that ifthey wanted to play Polo, then they would have to findsponsorship because the army wasn’t going to pay.That was the beginning of a long term relationship withBritish Army Polo.It was also the launch of the Hackett Polo shirt.I remember one day chatting to Prince William who asked meif I played Polo. “No” I replied “I’m left handed”. He replied “So am I but Ilearnt to play right handed”…that shut me up.We also dressed the England Rugby team and in particularJonny Wilkinson who produced the drop goal which wonEngland the World Cup in 2003. Jonny was a huge hit withour customers and again it allowed us to make authentic rugbyjerseys.

I secretly (well maybe not so secretly) envy you “Mr Classic”for being a champion and proud sponsor of Aston MartinRacing, and getting to drive their classic sports cars all overthe world… It sounds terribly hard work!

It has its moments…

And yet your merchandise is not particularly “elitist” in termsof pricing. Was it a conscious decision that you still retain the ethos ofthe founding days of “affordable luxury” in order that muchwider strata of society can “buy into the Hackett lifestyle”even in a small way?“Prince William asked if I played polo… That shut me up”

Dr Silvio Albini

Mr Jeremy Hackett

Dr Silvio Albini

Historically we called this “Essential British Kit”

Yes, it’s most important to offer value for money to ourcustomers, but this doesn’t mean compromising on quality,not ever. Only the best will do. Our aim is to provideprofessional men of all ages with clothes that are stylish, wellmade and suitable for all occasions. It is not high fashion butthen it is not old fashioned. It is a straightforward way ofdressing that is purposeful with touches of wit and mildeccentricity. Historically we called this “Essential British Kit”.

Mr Jeremy Hackett

“It has its moments”

TA I L O R E D T O F I T

“Clothes you need for the City, clothes you need for thecountry”…where would you most rather be Jeremy?

Well I have always thought that a combination of the two, City& Country, would be absolutely perfect: London for itsvibrancy and convenience, the countryside for its beauty andtranquillity. Shall I let you into a secret Silvio? I believe I havefound the answer! I bought the most perfect home, a miniature Georgian cottagecompletely hidden away down a tiny lane, which I restoredfrom dereliction. I filled the house with many of my treasuredacquisitions, including a portrait of Edward VIII- The Dukeof Windsor, which used to hang in our store, and also hisriding boots for which I paid £3 at Portobello, and when Iun-wrapped them found inscribed inside “HM the King 1936”.I do seem to accumulate objects, but I don’t like clutter,everything inside is simple but functional, rather like theHackett brand, and in fact many of our exclusive fabrics usedfor the upholstery and accessories bring the look together. It’sgood to mix up different periods, it stops the house frombecoming too grand or overbearing. Outside is a traditionalcountry garden with 19th century herringbone brick paths,vines and quercus trees. On a balmy summer evening, sittingout on the terrace under a faded cotton awning, with friends,a few bottles of good wine, and my dog Browney: I really haveeverything I could wish for.

Dr Silvio Albini

Mr Jeremy Hackett

“my quintessential country home…right in the heart of London!”

And then I hear the distinct chimes of Big Ben and I ambrought back to reality, remembering that my quintessentialcountry home is not in deepest Wiltshire, but right in theheart of London! I still love to rise early and visit the London markets... and justcan’t seem to kick the habit. Although we have a broader designteam now at Hackett to address our globally evolving market,I still like to contribute my ideas, never forgetting the past.It was the poet Edward Fitzgerald, who in 1840 wrote “Say asyou will, there is not and never was such a country as OldEngland”.

How do you see the evolution of the taste in shirts historically?

One thing of particular note is the rapidly growing interest inMade to Measure garments, especially from a customer baseof refined young people who are looking for something new.At the moment the full bespoke side is still a relatively smallpart of our business, but the demand for our personal tailoringwhere we can change our existing blocks or add special detailsrequested by the customers, is increasing a lot.A whole generation of young guys are coming back intoformality, and this demand for bespoke tailoring, whethersuits or shirts is another way to express personality, and forHackett “bespoke” means that you never have to say “no”to a customer.I recently had a chalk-stripe suit made for myself and choseto have patch pockets, with one of them, plus the trouser turn-ups featuring the stripe running in a different direction thatwould normally have been expected. A small change from theconventional way, but one that made my suit unique – that’sjust one example of “bespoke”.

Dr Silvio Albini

Mr Jeremy Hackett

“Bespoke means you never have to say “No” to a customer”

“Looking forward to bringing our trademarkBritish personality to China”

L O N D O N ’ S “ H A C K E T T C R O S S ” G O E S G L O B A L

In 2005 we made another move forward, with a team ofEuropean investors who had the vision to transform Hackettinto a truly global brand. With the support of our new partners,we have begun to embrace a more European Britishness. Itwas necessary to broaden our horizons and the continuinginvestment has enabled us to do this. At the present time we are looking towards China where weare planning a major programme of store openings to includea flagship store in Hong Kong . I can’t tell you the precisedetails as it is still “top secret”, but I can say that we are hugelylooking forward to bringing our trademark British personalityto the Chinese people. I believe that as a market they reallyare able to understand and appreciate quality. It’s a veryexciting time for us. And also something of a balancing act because it’s importantto acknowledge a wider world, whilst at the same time to takeour existing client base with us. Hackett is a classic brandthat evolves and moves, but hopefully a step ahead of ourcustomers, not three steps.

Mr Jeremy Hackett

“Raising our hats for the new store in Milan” “Essentially British”

That stylish young provincial lad who left school aged 16 hascome a very long way since then…your eye for quality, thedetermination to swim against the tide, to take hold of everyopportunity and most of all to keep faith with your originalideals through good times and difficult ones is trulyinspirational.Thank you Jeremy Hackett, for sharing your stories with us,for continuing to support the best in British style...and…didI remember to thank you for the Zephyr?

Thank you Silvio, it’s been great fun speaking to you, and youwill remember to mention the dogs won’t you? That’s most important!

Dr Silvio Albini Mr Jeremy Hackett

Browney Hackett has the last word

THANKS TO HACKETT FOR THE USE OF PHOTO IMAGERY AND TO JEREMY FOR HIS ORIGINAL ARTWORK

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Graphic Design G R I T T I M O R L A C C H I & S C H I R M E R Milano